Summer on a Bike

If he’s not working or in class, you can find OSU-Cascades senior John Chapman outside. He’s an avid rock-climber, long distance runner, and backpacker. And he does a lot of biking. He’s on the OSU-Cascades cycling team, and this summer has participated in road bike races all over the state. John finished near the top in the last few races in Bend's summer criterium series and pushed to third place in both the Cascades Cycling Classic downtown criterium and circuit 50-mile race, placing eighth in the event overall.

John grew up mountain biking in southern California. He jumped on a road bike a few years ago and hasn’t looked back. He’s also a competitive cyclocross rider and will move to compete in that discipline this fall. He hopes to bring a cyclocross race to the OSU-Cascades campus.

OSU-Cascades' cycling team is small and mighty – 12 athletes compete in mountain biking, road and cyclocross competitions throughout the year wearing the orange and black. The program continues to grow each year.

John is a social science major with a passion for geography. He’s also a certified drug and alcohol counselor and works at a transitional living program for young adults. The program helps young people who have struggled in the past make the transition to independent adult living. The residents work, go to school, learn new skills, live in community and receive academic and therapeutic support. John leads the program's community service activities and recreational outings. His passion for outdoor activities shows residents there's fun to be had beyond partying.

John pushed himself hard this year in biking and is excited to finish the summer strong. “I love the camaraderie of the sport, and I love the rush of competing,” he said.